Talmadge Lewis, 91, of The Lewis Family – the first family of bluegrass gospel music – passed away on Friday, March 13, following a period of declining health.
Born December 31, 1934 in Lincolnton, GA, Talmadge, an original member of his family’s band, served as their fiddler and mandolinist. He was the sixth of eight siblings. Two brothers, Esley and Little Roy, and one sister, Janis, survive.
Talmadge started playing locally in 1947 as part of the Lewis Brothers. His sisters joined and The Lewis Family formed in 1951, playing all gospel acoustic music. He remained a part of his family band for over twenty years. In 1972, he walked away from life as a touring musician to run his successful business. It was first established as Talmadge Lewis Motors, but eventually expanded into Lewis Bus Line in Augusta, GA.
His entrepreneurial activity saw the dealership grow into one of the largest and most respected bus dealerships in the southeast. Dedicated to serving his customers, Talmadge earned the nickname, “Mr. Bus.” Entertainers would seek him out to purchase their professional rides. He also provided charter bus services for numerous groups, including presidential visits and the Masters Golf Tournament.
Talmadge’s funeral was held Sunday afternoon, March 15, at Hephzibah Baptist Church in Lincolnton, GA. Music was performed by Little Roy & Lizzy and their band, and by Jeff Easter (who is married to the late Polly Lewis’ daughter, Sheri). Included in the service were video messages from Rhonda Vincent, Marty Stuart, and the Oak Ridge Boys sharing their condolences and history with Talmadge and The Lewis Family.
His youngest sibling, Little Roy, shared in a phone interview…
“When I was little, Pop never did whip me, but Mama had a switch, and I would try to outrun her. Talmadge would get me so Mama could whip me.
He really loved bluegrass, or when we was growing up, it was called hillbilly music. Talmadge was a fiddle player, but he didn’t know he was going to be one. Wallace [our brother] needed a fiddler to play a square dance, so he took Talmadge to Augusta and bought him the fiddle that he’s got right now. The next week Talmadge played that fiddle at the square dance.”
He also shared how his brother acquired his Gibson F5 mandolin.
“One day in 1956, the Lavonia, GA festival MC, Ed Hurt, came into the studio where we were filming our TV show and said, ‘I want to sell my 1951 F5 mandolin. I’ll take $210 for it.’ So I had $100 and Talmadge had $110 and we bought it.
Talmadge loved to play on stage, but he was always in a hurry to get back because he always had a lot of business to take care of. He told me in the last few years, ‘I regret quitting y’all, but I just couldn’t do both [music and the bus business].’ Nobody couldn’t sell buses like him. I was proud of him.
Talmadge learned me how to do a lot of things that I didn’t know how to do. He taught me how to be nice to the Highway Patrolmen when they caught you, and maybe get out of a ticket. I used that a lot of times. He helped me with the bus, and anything I wanted, Talmadge would give it to me. He was a good person.”
Little Roy visited Talmadge regularly.
“I went to visit him a month or so ago and my telephone rung. It plays one of Earl’s songs and Talmadge asked, ‘Little Roy, is that you playing banjo?’ He didn’t hardly know nothing, but he knew that. A couple weeks ago, Lizzy and I went down and played for him. He laid there with his eyes closed, but he acted like he was playing the fiddle with us.”
Talmadge left a legacy of hard work, a love for music, and a deep affection for animals, feeding strays and rescuing both domestic and wild creatures.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to:
CSRA Humane Society
425 Wood Street
Augusta, GA 30904
R.I.P., Talmadge Lewis.
